RFID and NFC in Healthcare: Safety of Hospitals

Abstract—Use of information technology has become com-monplace in healthcare. In an ideal world a patient always gets first class treatment and everything goes smoothly and as planned. Applications of information technology are created to help the hospital staff achieve this. However, hospital staff is often working under a heavy workload and minimal workforce. This may contribute to human error, for example, in medication that may have adverse effects on patient’s treatment.In this paper we will demonstrate how to improve patient’s safety in health-care and especially in medication care by using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and NFC (Near Field Communication) technologies. We will concentrate on the technologies itself and how they could be used in different parts of healthcare. Earlier research results concerning this area are also evaluated. I